#beyond elementary school having us learn the states and capitals anything else was kind of a side effect of history classes

[davidtennantpussytulpa]

this website is not beating the piss poor reading comprehension allegations

[cmacavoy]

The Truth About The Moon

When his fourth grade teacher said the name in passing while the class was being taught about the southwest region of the United States, Jack thought nothing of it. When the time came to pick their states at random for their project, Jack was disappointed he didn’t get a well known state like California, a state full of history like Massachusetts, a state most people had been to like Florida. Instead, he got a state that didn’t even have an original name. New Mexico, capital Santa Fe, bordering states Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma, as well as the country of Mexico. Fifth largest state in the country, with abbreviation NM. Unoriginal, unimportant, quickly forgotten.

He thought nothing of the state during most of his research until it came time to research the capital. It was the day his classroom got to use the computer lab. He immediately typed in the words “Santa Fe” and hoped he could find enough information quickly so he could go play on the drawing game installed just a few days prior to all the computers. Jack pulled up the pictures tab of google and couldn’t look away. He sat for five minutes, scrolling through pictures of clay and brick buildings, the red such a shock to the boy who spent his life surrounded by towering silver buildings. Though those buildings existed in a few of those pictures, they were secluded in its own part. Green was more vibrant, unlike New York, even though it tried. Beyond the city was even more colorful, a shock for Jack since he lived in the heart of his own city.

“How’s your project going Jack?” Miss Lewis asked, snapping Jack out of his own head.

“Very good,” Jack replied quietly, opening his notebook and clicking on the first website that popped up for information.

Jack saved his lunch money and every cent he could find for two weeks in order to buy a new copy of The Order Of The Phoenix for himself the day it came out, not wanting to wait until it was available at the school library. Only two short months after his New Mexico project, he had fallen in love with reading after his hunger to learn more about Santa Fe. His days that once used to be filled with playing basketball and football with the kids in his apartment building were instead consumed with reading everything he could. After overhearing at lunch someone talking about a book series about an eleven year old British wizard, he rushed to the library when the school bell rang, desperate to find it. He sped through the first four books, just in time for the fifth to be released.

After buying the book at the closest Barnes and Noble to school, he rushed over to Union Square Park to start reading. As the sun began to set and the moon began to rise, Jack was one hundred seventy nine pages in and introduced to a new character: Luna Lovegood. Immediately he felt a personal connection to the character, stronger than any bond to a character before. Here was someone who had also lost their mother, was a bit of a loner, an outcast. Someone like himself.  Jack didn’t realize how late it was until Michael, a quiet kid his age who lived next door came and found him for his dad. He raced home and rapidly ate dinner so he could go back to his room and continue reading and learn more about Luna.

Throughout the night his were eyes unable to leave the page despite how heavy his eyelids became. He finished just as the moon started to disappear in the sky, morning rays preparing to wake New York for another Sunday.  Though there was a sad nature to the book, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy at the fact that Luna had found her place at Hogwarts. Jack hoped one day he would find his own place in life like Luna. As he stared out into the lightening sky, he dreamed once again of Santa Fe, where the moon was still high in the sky, knowing his place was there.

Middle school hadn’t even started when his father died. Unlike his mother’s death, this death Jack would remember. It had been a normal Wednesday night for them. Jack was at home reading his newest library find when his dad came home for five minutes before leaving again, hollering that Jack could make his own dinner and slamming the door behind him. This wasn’t normal for most people by any means, but Jack was used to it.

Jack had been cleaning his dishes from dinner, hoping to get it done before his dad came home, which could have been any second or hours later. When a knock rang through the apartment, Jack dropped the dish back into the sink. It was probably his dad, who lost his keys and would’ve been more upset being left waiting outside than if there was still a plate left in the sink. He went over to the door and was surprised by two police officers towering over him.

“Are you Jack Kelly?” the first one asked. Jack nodded slowly. “We have something to tell you son, can we come in?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Jack said, voice cracking. “I swear I didn’t.”

“We know that Jack, this isn’t about you,” the second man assured. “It’s about your father. Is your mother home?”

“She’s dead,” he answered. Suddenly the taller police officer eyes filled with sorrow. “Did something happen to Dad?”

“I’m sorry kid, your dad was killed in a car crash. According to some witnesses, it appears he was under the influence of alcohol,” the other officer explained. “We looked at his records and yours and there seems to be no family member alive that you can go to. You’re going to have to go into the foster system.”

At the news, Jack expected to be hit with a wave of sadness, but it never came. “What does that mean?”

“It means you can’t live here in this apartment anymore, and since you have no family to go to, we have to bring you to a home where the owners house and raise orphans. You’ll be with other kids like you, so you’ll have someone to talk with. Your new foster mom is also happens to be a therapist, so you’ll have her as well.”

“We can give you thirty minutes to pack your stuff,” the first officer added. “You’ll have another half hour later in the week to get anything else you forgot, but for now, just bring the most important things, okay?”

Jack nodded once again, feeling like someone else was controlling him as he moved to his room and began packing his stuff into any bag he could find. It wasn’t him moving.

Before leaving, he looked out his bedroom window like he had countless times. The sky was dark, not a star in sight. The only light was coming from the full moon, looking so small and alone in the emptiness of the sky.

By ninth grade, Jack had gone through four different foster homes, none of them fit for him. Each time, he moved farther and farther away from the streets he grew up on and closer to Brooklyn. He had switched schools each time, and each time he was even more of a loner than he was in elementary school. His passion for reading disappeared shortly after his first foster mom diagnosed him with depression. He didn’t think he had depression; to him nothing had changed. But according to every guidance counselor at each new school, he did, based off the fact that he was close to failing most of his classes. It wasn’t that he was dumb, he just never found the energy to do his work. Instead, he found himself drawing. It started off as something to do in class when he didn’t feel like paying attention. He thought nothing of it as he did it, it was just a way to make the day go by quicker. It wasn’t until a teacher commented on how much she liked it randomly one day did Jack notice he wasn’t that bad.

Right after Christmas of his freshmen year, he was moved to his fifth foster home after his previous foster parents retired to Florida. They were nice people, had been fostering kids for forty years, and their retirement was well deserved, especially seeing how Jack was the only kid left. He completely understood, but that didn’t mean he was excited about it at all. Another move, another school, another adjustment he was sick of making.

According to the file given to him about his new foster house, he only would have a foster mom, who worked at Pace High School as a theatre teacher. She fostered three other boys who had all been there for more than a year, which was promising.

When he arrived at the apartment building, carrying a duffel bag on each shoulder, he was greeted a boy that looked his age. “Hey you must be here for Medda.”

“Who?” Jack asked.

“Foster mom,” the boy corrected, reaching to grab one of the bags from Jack’s shoulders. “Come in, meet the boys. Medda’s running late at rehearsals but Spot and Specs are here.”

“Spots and Specs? What kind of names are those?” Jack questioned.

“Nicknames. We’ve all got one, so does everyone we hang out with,” he explained, motioning Jack to come in. “Mine’s Mush because of the failed time I tried making dinner my third night here. Hey Spot, Specs! New guy’s here.”

“Yeah ‘cause we couldn’t tell that by the knock at the door,” a boy snickered.

“We’re still in the living room,” a different voice called.

“Trust me, they’re nicer than they seem,” Mush joked, leading Jack into the living room where two guys sat on opposite ends of the couch, both with what appeared to be schoolwork out. “Specs is the one with glasses, Spot’s the sarcastic asshole you heard.”

“Wow not even trying to make a good first impression on the new guy,” Specs commented.

“It wouldn’t’ve lasted long,” Spot added.

“I’m Jack,” he said quietly.

“Wait Jack Kelly?” Mush asked.

“How’d you know that?” Jack asked, confused.

“I thought it was you but wasn’t sure, it’s been three years,” Mush said. “I used to live next door to you, back in Union Square.”

“Oh, Michael, right?”

Mush nodded. “Anyways, you’re the unlucky fellow who gets to share a room with Spot and since I doubt he’s getting up anytime soon, I’ll show you the way.”

“I would insult you, but you aren’t wrong,” Spot shrugged.

“Sorry ‘bout your dad by the way,” Mush mentioned. “You had to leave so quickly never got to say it.”

“Thanks man, I appreciate it,” Jack muttered. “What happened with your folks? They seemed nice.”

“My mom got sick and my asshole of a dad left,” he explained, opening one of the bedroom doors. “My godparents weren’t stable enough to raise me, but they knew Medda so I came here about four months after you left. Haven’t left since.”

“That sucks, I’m sorry,” Jack apologized, walking into the room.

Mush tossed Jack’s bag lightly onto the empty bed, Jack followed. “We’ve all got our sob stories. Might sound like bullshit, especially since this isn’t your first foster home, but it really did get better here. Sounds weird, but I’m glad it happened.”

“Gives me a bit of hope then,” Jack sighed. “In the five homes I’ve gone to, this by far is the best welcome I’ve gotten.”

Mush opened his mouth to answer but closed it when a woman’s voice called, “Boys, is Jack here yet?”

“He’s in his room,” Mush yelled back. “I’ll see you at dinner Jack.”

“See you then,” Jack replied as he left, sitting on the bed and looking down at the ground, trying to process everything that had happened in the last five minutes. He was left alone with his thoughts for only a few moments before he heard the door close lightly. “Jack?”

He looked up to see who he assumed to be Medda standing there. “You alright Jack?”

“Yeah I’m fine, just thinking,” Jack assured.

“The boys didn’t give you a hard time when you got here, did they?” Medda asked.

“No, not at all,” Jack replied.

“Okay good,” she smiled, sitting down on the opposite bed. “So as you probably know I’m Medda. I’m the theatre teacher and director for Pace High School, where you’ll be going to school with Michael, Sean, and Matt go to. Since I direct the shows, I’m there late sometimes, but you I trust you boys to not trash the apartment. As for rules here, I don’t have many. If you’re having a friend over just let me know, especially if they’re staying for dinner so I can make enough for everyone. As long as you’re trying in school, I don’t care much about your grades. Only way to get out of chores around the house is to help with tech at the theater, which isn’t really much of a chore. All of the boys’ friends are involved in some way, so you’ll never be alone. Most of the other rules are pretty common sense, like don’t do anything illegal. Any questions?”

Jack shook his head. “No ma’am.”

“Oh no need to call me ma’am sweetheart,” Medda added. “Medda’s more than fine, that’s what everyone at school calls me. Now, about you. I know your files say nothing under allergies, but I just wanted to check in case there was something they missed something. Any allergies?”

“They made me check over the forms before I got here ma’am - I mean Medda - everything is a hundred percent correct,” Jack explained.

“Perfect!” she grinned. “Now the only thing I have a question on is your depression. It says you were diagnosed shortly after your father’s death by your first foster mom who was a therapist. Have you seen anyone else about it since?”

Jack shook his head again.

“Okay well I’d like you to see my friend for a few weeks. If you find you don’t like therapy, I won’t make you continue, but she’s been a big help with the other boys, Sean specifically.”

“Which one is Sean?” Jack asked quietly. “I only know their nicknames.”

“Oh of course they didn’t tell you their real names,” Medda tsked. “Sean is Spot. Those silly nicknames get all the teachers confused at school, especially since all their friends have those names as well. Speaking of school, you start Tuesday when everyone goes back from the holiday  break. I have your schedule and in the morning it’s the same as Michael’s, while after lunch it’s the same as Sean’s, which worked out great. You also have the same lunch as both of them, and that’s the lunch that majority of their friends are in, except for the two who take AP World History during that period. You’ll meet them all quickly, many of them help in the theater, and a few actually perform. There’s usually one or two here after school as well.”

Jack nodded slowly, leg starting to bounce up and down involuntarily.

“I know it’s a lot to process right now, sweetheart,” Medda sighed, leaning over to rest her hand on Jack’s knee, stopping it from bouncing. “It’ll take some time to adjust, I know that, but I really hope you’re happy here. Now, take some time and unpack while I get dinner started. Should be ready within the next forty five minutes.”

“Thank you Medda,” Jack responded.

“Anytime Jack,” Medda said as she stood up and left the room.

Jack sat there for a few moments, his mind racing with everything he had just been told in that short period of time. In most of the homes he stayed, he was expected to just quickly adapt without anything ever being explained to him, but this place was different.

He stood up and walked over to the window, staring out into the sky to find only stars. After a quick glance at the calender hung up next to Spot’s bed, he noticed it was a new moon. A new beginning.

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